“Chelsea fans wrote him off but don’t think they are now” – Fans left impressed by Blues star despite Southampton defeat

Due to a rather dismal performance, Chelsea were unable to see off bottom-feeders Southampton, who secured a 1-0 win over the Blues. However, football fans who followed the game thought that former Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling was a shining light at Stamford Bridge.

Sterling only played in the second half, but he brought an added spark to the final third for the Blues. He had four shots at the goal. Most were off-target, but his overall movement and display earned the praise of the fans, who took to Twitter to discuss the forward.

Here is a selection of their tweets:

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Chelsea lose to Southampton with dismal performance

As the game drew closer, a palpable feeling of hope and enthusiasm surrounded the Blues, who had displayed impressive form in their preceding match against Dortmund.

With their opponents being the lowest-ranked team in the league and without a manager, it was anticipated that Chelsea would continue to perform at a high level.

It soon became apparent, however, that things were not going to go as planned. Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced to respond within minutes of the game starting, having to make a critical save.

Shortly afterwards, Kalidou Koulibaly was awarded a yellow card, and Southampton squandered a golden opportunity to draw first blood just nine minutes in.

Despite Southampton's initial burst of energy waning, Chelsea were unable to take advantage of the opportunity, and the match became a display of sub-par football.

The only instance of genuine quality in the first half came from Southampton's James Ward-Prowse. The midfielder found the back of the net with a sublimely taken free kick in the dying moments of the first half (45+1').

At the break, the crowd made their feelings known with a loud chorus of boos directed at the Blues. Despite making several substitutions in the second half, they still looked out of sorts and disconnected. Graham Potter's team was able to generate some opportunities, but these were all squandered.

Things only got worse when César Azpilicueta suffered an injury to his face and had to be stretchered off. This caused a lengthy delay and further deterred Chelsea's momentum. The match eventually concluded with 12 extra minutes, which felt like an eternity to the Blues, who still could not find the back of the net.

The disappointing result was a blow for Chelsea, who have won only one game this year and have now suffered their second consecutive loss across competitions.

They currently sit at the 10th position in the standings, with 31 points from 23 games.